Small footprint and high efficiency PMIC for application processors and system power

Intersil has introduced a highly integrated programmable PMIC that delivers 91% efficiency at 1.1V output voltage for application processors, GPUs, FPGAs and high-performance system power. The new PMIC’s low RDS(on) MOSFETs and programmable PWM frequency allows designers to use fewer low-profile external components, enabling a 50mm2 power-supply that is 40% smaller than competing solutions. The ISL91211 triple/quad output PMIC is ideal for smartphones, tablet computers, solid-state drives, networking and wireless IoT devices powered by single-cell Li-on batteries, or 2.5V – 5.5V power supplies. The device leverages Intersil’s latest R5 modulation technology to provide the industry’s fastest single-cycle transient response and highest switching frequency (4MHz) during load transients. Quiescent current is only 62µA while the device is regulating the output voltage. The PMIC’s superior light load efficiency, regulation accuracy and fast dynamic response prolong battery life. The PMIC includes highly efficient synchronous buck converters capable of multiphase and single-phase operation while delivering up to 5A per phase of continuous output current. The PMIC’s four integrated buck controllers dynamically reconfigure their power stages to address a wide range of applications with high efficiency and high output power. Precise current sensing allows the device to automatically and smoothly add or drop phases to optimize power efficiency, and provide overcurrent protection without requiring DCR or resistor sensing circuits at the inductor. “The latest generation of application processors requires a new PMIC modulation architecture that can dramatically shrink solution size and increase efficiency,” said Andrew Cowell, senior vice president of Mobile Power Products at Intersil. “The ISL91211 employs Intersil’s new R5 modulator to deliver blazingly fast transient performance and everything designers need to simplify board layout and dynamically scale power supply performance to meet the requirements of today’s multi-core processors.”